The role of the Armoured Trials and Development Unit (ATDU) is to carry out user trials and development tasks on armoured vehicle equipment. It is not limited to armoured vehicles but can include looking at fuel for armoured vehicles, clothing for their crews, and so on. The ATDU has had one or more gate guardians outside its base for many years.Other units around Bovington Camp also have tanks on display as gate guardians.

This Ram tank was recovered from Pirbright and restored by ATDU; the reason a Ram was chosen was availability, and ISTR ATDU had an exchange Canadian Officer at the time (source: A. Barrell).

Stanley Barracks

Two tanks are displayed outside the Junior Leader Regiment RAC barracks on King George V Road, opposite the Tank Museum. They can be visited and photographed if permission is obtained from the barracks guard room.

This is a Mark 5. It was built as a Mark 2 at Leeds and its disposal date was January 1998 (source: R. Griffin/Chieftain). It was in service from 14 February 1968, and its service included time with the Blues and Royals and the Life Guards and in 17 BVD stock and at CVD Ludgershall (source: Museum Vehicle Record). It was put on Bovington museum books in 1992 and is currently on loan from the museum. It is mounted on a plinth that carries the RAC gauntlet insignia and reads:

This ARV was seen on display outside the gates of 18 Command Workshop REME, near Amiens Road, in the 1980’s but could not be photographed as it was in a restricted area. Its current location and status are unknown.